Christian Devotional – August 6, 2021

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 71

Who are we focused on lifting up? Read John 3.

During this chapter, we see Nicodemus come to Jesus to understand more. Nicodemus was a well respected leader and teacher, and yet he humble himself to ask questions to understand who Jesus was and why Jesus had come.

Then we see John the Baptist and his followers commenting on the fact that Jesus is becoming more popular than John. To most of us, we would struggle with the idea of someone becoming greater than we are, yet John explains that he has great joy in seeing Jesus lifted up. He explains that Jesus was the one he was preaching in the first place, and seeing Jesus Lifted up was simply a fulfillment of what John had been preaching and it gave him joy.

Do do we find joy in lifting up Jesus. Or, do we struggle with the idea that Jesus is greater than we are. We may know and understand that in our heads, but when it comes to people exalting him more than they do us, are we OK with that? Do we want the praise and the credit and the accolades, or are we genuinely seeking for Jesus to have those things? We must humbly come to Jesus, recognizing that he is greater than we will ever be, and then seek to proclaim that to others, pointing them toward Jesus all along. We are not the ones to receive the praise. We we find joy in giving him praise.